The next federal election looms ahead menacingly. This is when the metal hits the meat and we have to make hard decisions or become just the burnt bits on the edge of the Democracy Sausage Sizzle.

The incumbent government is a bucket of time-ex bait on a hot day, with a leader odds-on for worst PM since Billy McMahon (if anyone wanted to contest that dubious honour) His panoply of Noddy dolls in ministerial positions — with too few exceptions — have turned the Light on the Hill into a penny candle on a traffic speed bump. Massively disappointing.

Australia is MIA on matters including environmental protection, geopolitical strategic safety, adherence to that chimerical notion of “the International Rule of Law” as expressed by the UN and the ICJ, failing to support genuine social coherence and avoiding a raft of other societal matters that delineate actual progress.

“Could do better” would be faint condemnation of what the Albanese Government has achieved and therefore reliably promises for the future. The best hope is: “possibly limits the damage to come”.

No such equivocation applies to what a Dutton-led government proposes for the nation – nor does his/their/its history ameliorate the assessment of the damage that is foretold by examination of statements and “policy” (to abuse an innocent term unfairly).

Dutton is not so much making it up as he goes along as plagiarising the Trump songbook, reinforcing that Artificial Intelligence is no match for Real Stupidity.

Dutton turns that dial to 11. The Infestation (collective noun, pejorative) of LNP representatives lurches clamorously behind the Pied Piper of Dickson, micturating the shibboleths of neo-conservative dogma on every lamp-post of our society. The lack of anything commendable about them is chronically depressing.

A fundamental difference between Trump and Dutton — of which the latter appears dangerously ignorant — is that the might of the US insulates its leader from much of the repercussions of stupidity that lesser powers (Australia) can expect from the rest of the world. In simple terms, Trump can be a bully and get away with it because anybody who says: ‘Oh yeah, you and whose army?’ gets pointed at the predominant military presence in the world. Poke the eagle and you just might get Hiroshimated.

This is — and will obviously be news to Dutton — not the situation of Australia. We need to cultivate and would profit from convivial relations with our Pacific and SEAsian neighbours. The British Empire is long gone (send someone to take any sharp knives away from Tony Abbott) and the US hegemony is rapidly acquiring the allure of an incurable STD.

We absolutely do not need the rancid populist political outfall of antagonising Muslims by stone-deaf support of Zionist atrocities. Push-back might not stop with the population of SW Sydney: someone should whisper in Dutton’s ear that we have a large population of mostly Muslim people not very far off our NW coast. Don’t bother telegraphing Bluebottle Paterson, he’s utterly irrelevant, though intensely irritating.

We will, as a nation, be adversely affected both domestically and in terms of international relations if we do not seriously ramp up our environmental protection actions. While Labor is monstrously deficient in this area, what Dutton spruiks in his nuclear smokescreen for maintaining and expanding fossil fuel use is as obvious as the proverbial dog’s bollocks.

Dutton’s flippant reference to water lapping at our Pacific Ocean neighbours’ feet is not at all funny when you receive your insurance renewal proposal to see the heft in premium because of the worldwide cost of natural disasters linked to global warming arriving to bite you. This is a transfer of the costs of environmental damage caused by the major polluting corporations on to the individual consumer – with the added spice of potential nuclear radiation catastrophe.

Plus, costs to be met of almost unimaginable magnitude – except that we have come to be able to imagine them, thanks (not) to AUKUS in all its Jabberwockian manifestation. Many of us will discern an ethical conundrum where a person who fights to deny First Nation citizens with a Voice on the despicable fulcrum of “inadequate information” yet says “trust me” on his energy proposal.

Which brings us to national defence strategy.

Labor is a supplicant to the US’ general geopolitical motivations. Albanese and Marles, in particular, seem incapable of distancing their lips from the Yankee arse but at least they are somewhat restrained in commentary. No such prudence afflicts Dutton, Hastie and Paterson. They chant the anti-China, pro-Zionist Israeli and (until a few days ago) excoriation of Russia tune of the US with the fervour of a crack-addled karaoke addict. Murdoch approves. Sharri Markson publicly cheerleads. Good sense lies bleeding.

Godelpusall.

With luck and fortitude, a slew of strong, trustworthy Independents will emerge as candidates, who if elected can pressure a minority Labor Government to act more responsibly than the current Albanese shambles. But be of no innocence that even a balance-of-power cross-bench could effectively moderate the malign idiocy of an LNP minority government. Dutton is, in Turnbull’s educated judgement, a “thug”. QED. Continuously, ad nauseum.

Those among us who might think that “this time around, Dutton will have learned better” should note his plan to disinter the Pezullo-led malignant empire of Home Affairs. 50 Shades of the Mango Mussolini playbook.

Be warned.

https://johnmenadue.com/dutton-unplugged-bolt-for-the-long-grass/

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